Portland Harbour, in between Portland and Weymouth, is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. The harbour was made by the building of stone breakwaters between 1848 and 1905. From its inception it was a Royal Navy base, and played prominent roles during the First and Second World Wars; ships of the Royal Navy and NATO countries worked up and exercised in its waters until 1995. The harbour is now a civilian port and popular recreation area, and was used for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Portland (steam tug 1875)

Career

Portland was launched on April 9, 1875 in Portland, Oregon. The vessel was operated for 15 years on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, and then was transferred to Puget Sound. From 1891 to 1895, the Portland operated out of Everett, Washington, piloted by Captain James Hastings.

Drift and recovery

In 1897, the Portland was hauled out at Ballard, Washington, for repairs. Somehow she broke free from the shipway and floated off unoccupied. Eventually, the Portland drifted north into Canadian waters, where she was recovered as a derelict by the B.C. Salvage Company. She came under the control of R.P. Rithet and Company, a prominent British Columbia shipping concern that repurposed her to a passenger steamer. She was renamed Clayoquat and ran on passenger routes out of Port Renfrew, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Clayoquat later passed to the H.Bell-Irving Company, and was used by them as a cannery tender under the name Phoenix.

About half of the town's perimeter is made up of the Connecticut River. The town has
eight marinas and boat clubs as well as three 18-hole golf courses.

History

The Wangunk tribe lived in the area prior to European settlement, and lived in Portland continuously throughout the settler period. Wangunk descendants still live in the area today. Their name referred to the bend in the Connecticut River which curves around half of the town's perimeter.

Peacock Lane

Peacock Lane is a four-block street in the Southeast, Portland, Oregon neighborhood in southeast Portland, Oregon, U.S. It is known for its fully decorated homes during the Christmas season.
During this time of year, thousands of people come from all over the Portland area to view the decorated houses. Peacock Lane is also the namesake of the album Christmas on Peacock Lane by local musician Michael Allen Harrison.

History

The community's website explains:

Popular annual displays include several Peanuts characters ice-skating on a small pond, a plywood Oregon State Beaver and a large wooden Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! that has been a staple since the 1980s. The Grinch has been vandalized several times over the years. It was stolen for a brief period in 1994 and was decapitated in 1997. The Grinch now has a red bow tied around his neck to help conceal the damages. More recent displays feature characters from Dr. Who, The Muppets, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Star Wars and several Nickelodeon cartoon shows. A life-sized mural of Will Ferrell's "Buddy" from the 2003 film Elf adorns a small stand that sells hot chocolate and coffee.

Named after the city in Maine, Portland was settled in the 1830s near the end of the Oregon Trail. Its water access provided convenient transportation of goods, and the timber industry was a major force in the city's early economy. At the turn of the 20th century, the city had developed a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world, a hub for organized crime and racketeering. After the city's economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II, its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate. Beginning in the 1960s, Portland became noted for its growing liberal political values, and the city has earned a reputation as a bastion of counterculture, a view which has proceeded into the 21st century. According to a 2009 Pew Research Center study, Portland ranks as the 8th most popular American city, based on where people want to live.

Christmas lights

Christmas lights (also known informally as fairy lights) are lights used for decoration in preparation for Christmas and for display throughout Christmastide. The custom goes back to the use of candles to decorate the Christmas tree in Christian homes in early modern Germany. Christmas trees displayed publicly and illuminated with electric lights became popular in the early 20th century. By the mid-20th century, it became customary to display strings of electric lights as along streets and on buildings Christmas decorations detached from the Christmas tree itself. In the United States, it became popular to outline private homes with such Christmas lights in tract housing beginning in the 1960s. By the late 20th century, the custom had also been adopted in non-western countries, notably in Japan and Hong Kong.

Portland Harbour, in between Portland and Weymouth, is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. The harbour was made by the building of stone breakwaters between 1848 and 1905. From its inception it was a Royal Navy base, and played prominent roles during the First and Second World Wars; ships of the Royal Navy and NATO countries worked up and exercised in its waters until 1995. The harbour is now a civilian port and popular recreation area, and was used for the 2012 Olympic Games.

When I'm in Portland, I'm usually hopping around between points in or near the city center ... But when it's raining -- which, in Portland, is quite a bit of the time -- I'm happy to hop on the light rail or a bus for even a few blocks....

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The mother of a toddler whose disappearance prompted the biggest criminal investigation in Maine history sued Monday in hopes of unearthing more details ... "Justin, I promise you, wherever you are, one day you will have to face me and tell me the truth of what really happened to Ayla," Reynolds told reporters in Portland....

17, 2018, in Portland, Maine...PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The mother of a toddler whose disappearance prompted the biggest criminal investigation in Maine history sued Monday in hopes of unearthing more details ... Trista Reynolds now lives in SouthPortland and has two young children. She said she lights a pink candle every December in Ayla’s name....

Portland's Hollywood Theater marquee lighting...

Lights There - LED Lights 101: Re-Lighting Portlan...

Latest News for: Portland lighting

When I'm in Portland, I'm usually hopping around between points in or near the city center ... But when it's raining -- which, in Portland, is quite a bit of the time -- I'm happy to hop on the light rail or a bus for even a few blocks....

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The mother of a toddler whose disappearance prompted the biggest criminal investigation in Maine history sued Monday in hopes of unearthing more details ... "Justin, I promise you, wherever you are, one day you will have to face me and tell me the truth of what really happened to Ayla," Reynolds told reporters in Portland....

17, 2018, in Portland, Maine...PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The mother of a toddler whose disappearance prompted the biggest criminal investigation in Maine history sued Monday in hopes of unearthing more details ... Trista Reynolds now lives in SouthPortland and has two young children. She said she lights a pink candle every December in Ayla’s name....

Her hometown of Portland, Penn., is about 15 minutes away, but light years away emotionally for Becca...The town was divided between the regular residents and the members of the Scions motorcycle gang that ruled one side of Portland ... Portland residents like to think that if the ......

Tinder’s ad shows a gaggle of diverse young people throwing their hands in the air and roller-skating under dreamy pink and blue neon lights — as if footage from a night out has been put through the Amaro Instagram filter ... Both companies seem to be conveying a lightness to combat the drudgery of swiping....

... was killed in Portland ... Taking out a full-grown tree, especially in the city—and especially in a city like Portland where so many trees have been tragically lost to “development” in the last few years—is a decision that should not be made lightly ... It’s like a light that shines....

cities are decked out with annual festivals of lights, elaborate tree displays and Christmas markets. If you love the season’s carols in addition to evergreens and lights, Portland hosts the largest Christmas choral festival in the world ... You’ll find the festival situated in close proximity to the rest of Portland’s quirky charm....